The Dry Garden: Choosing fruit
Posted on | August 6, 2010 | 1 Comment
Central to the promise of the California dream is the idea that you can reach out of your kitchen window and pluck a lemon. As we hit the limits of our water supply, that specter of home-grown fruit remains steadily possible, even a social ideal in the complex matrix of energy and water footprints.
In attaining it, the first hurdle is choice: What kind of lemon? What about oranges and limes? A modest lot in Los Angeles can produce full loads of not only citrus but also avocadoes, plums, apricots and nectarines. And don’t forget figs, pomegranates and apples. A long list only becomes longer when you consider the varieties and crosses available for each type of fruit. Valencia orange or blood? Eureka lemon or Meyer? Plum or “aprium”?
Choice of fruit trees is one of the most important decisions that you’ll make in a garden. You’ll be eating the results for years to come. So rather than wish that you had planted a Fuerte or Guatemalan avocado long after you planted a Hass, consider spending the weekend of August 14 at the Festival of Fruits sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the California Rare Fruit Growers and Cal Poly Pomona Agriculture Department. Click here to keep reading this week’s Dry Garden column in the Los Angeles Times.
Tags: chance of rain > Emily Green > Los Angeles Times > Mediterranean gardening
Comments
One Response to “The Dry Garden: Choosing fruit”
Leave a Reply
North American Native Plant Societies
After the lawn
Garden blogs
August 6th, 2010 @ 2:19 pm
It kills me that California has so many water problems – either run-off, political stale mates, etc. We had some friends who did just reach out their window and get all the lemons they wanted.
How wonderful. Water conservation should be on the list of everyone as something to get involved in. It really doesn’t take much to save water.
Keep posting, wonderful blog.